Chapter 13

Livia stood before a small mirror, cracked at one corner.

Her reflection appeared faint, fractured by the thin line splitting the glass. She gazed at herself for quite some time, as though trying to recognize the figure standing before her.

She wore very simple clothes—a pale long-sleeved shirt that had long since lost its original shape, and a pair of black trousers that looked worn from being used too often.

There was nothing special.

Nothing striking.

In fact… far too ordinary for someone living in a house as grand as this.

And perhaps… no one in the world would ever guess that she was the daughter of Robert Moreau.

A man whose name carried immense weight.

A man whose life was filled with power, wealth, and honor.

While she…

looked even more pitiful than the servants’ children in that house.

Livia gave a faint smile.

A thin smile that never quite reached her eyes.

As if it were not something she needed to regret.

Or perhaps… something she had accepted for far too long.

“Are you going to campus?”

Rossa’s voice came softly from behind her.

Livia turned slightly, her hands still busy fixing her hair, tying it neatly and simply.

“Yes, Mother.”

Her answer was brief, yet warm.

Rossa watched her daughter in silence.

Her gaze was gentle.

Full of pride.

But beneath it… lingered a worry that never truly faded.

As though every step Livia took outside this house was something that would never allow her heart to rest.

“Mother, my studies will be finished soon,” Livia continued lightly, trying to sound casual. “I can graduate earlier… if my research is accepted in the medical field.”

Rossa frowned slightly.

“Your research… about that medicine?”

Livia nodded.

This time, her smile was a little different—there was a small spark of enthusiasm there, something rarely seen in her.

“Most drugs used to relieve severe pain… use heroin,” she explained softly. “They’re usually only used under certain conditions—when patients truly can’t endure the pain anymore.”

She paused for a moment.

Looking at her mother.

“But the drug I’m developing… doesn’t use heroin at all.”

Rossa fell silent.

Her eyes studied Livia more deeply.

As if only now realizing something she had never fully understood before.

Not just about the medicine.

But about… how far her daughter had come without her noticing.

“You are very intelligent, Livia.”

The words came out softly.

Yet filled with certainty.

Livia let out a small laugh.

“Of course,” she replied lightly, almost teasing. “Because my mother is Rossa.”

The pride in her voice was unmistakable.

Too sincere to be hidden.

Rossa smiled.

A warm smile… though within it lay so many wounds that had never healed.

After making sure her appearance was neat, Livia picked up her simple bag.

Her hand paused briefly on the strap.

She looked back at her mother.

Longer than usual.

As if trying to memorize every detail of her face—the tired lines in her eyes, the smile that was too often forced, and the calmness she always showed even though her heart had long been shattered.

“I’m leaving now, Mother.”

Rossa nodded slowly.

“Take care.”

That was all.

No embrace.

No touch.

Yet their gazes alone were more than enough to convey all the words left unspoken.

Livia turned around.

Stepping out of that small room.

The corridor of the grand house remained the same—silent, cold, and strangely unfamiliar, even though she had lived in it her entire life.

But Livia’s steps never faltered.

She kept walking.

Without looking back.

The moment she stepped outside, the morning air greeted her.

Fresh.

Cool.

And… free.

So different from the air inside the house, which always felt suffocating.

Livia drew a slow breath.

As if trying to fill her lungs with something she had never truly possessed before.

Freedom.

The distance from the house to campus was far.

Too far for most people to walk.

But for Livia…

it was not a problem.

She walked quickly.

Her steps were light, almost as if she were running.

As though every step that took her farther from that house… was a step toward the life she desired.

Her tied hair swayed with her movement.

Her bag shifted gently on her shoulder.

But her thoughts…

were never truly at peace.

Her steps might move forward.

But her heart remained behind.

“Mother…”

Her whisper was barely audible.

Her eyes began to burn.

“If I can graduate sooner… if I truly become a doctor…”

Her steps slowed slightly.

“That should be enough to take us away from that place.”

She gave a bitter smile.

But it quickly fell apart.

“But it turns out… I was wrong.”

Tears began to fall without her realizing.

“I was too foolish… too happy… without thinking things through.”

Her breath trembled slightly.

“I shouldn’t have gone to that party…”

Her hand quickly wiped away her tears, as if afraid someone might see.

“Mother… I truly regret it.”

No one answered.

No one heard her.

In front of Rossa, she always looked strong.

Always smiling.

Always convincing her that everything would be fine.

But in truth…

Livia was only an ordinary girl.

A girl who was afraid.

A girl full of regret.

A girl who did not know how her future would end.

Her steps quickened again.

But this time… they felt heavier.

After that marriage…

what kind of life would she live?

The question kept circling in her mind.

But what suffocated her the most…

was not herself.

It was…

Rossa.

How would her mother survive alone in that house?

What if she wasn’t there?

What if everything became worse?

Livia clenched her hands tightly.

As if trying to hold something inside her from collapsing.

“I will come back…”

She whispered softly.

“I will come back… to take you away.”

Her steps did not stop.

But in her heart…

she knew.

The path would not be easy.